The savings potential in gas prices is higher than ever. Gas tariffs from alternative providers are on average 43 percent cheaper than the basic supply. But there are big regional differences.
After last year’s gas price shock, the situation for household customers has improved significantly. This is mainly due to the lower wholesale prices. The gas spot price is now around 25 to 30 euros per megawatt hour – well below the level before the start of the Russian war against Ukraine.
More and more suppliers are passing this on to their customers and lowering their gas prices. This is especially true for the alternative providers. Basic suppliers, on the other hand, have only reduced their prices slightly in recent months, and in some cases the prices are still well above the gas price cap of 12 cents per kilowatt hour.
“Consumers should take action”
The logical consequence: The price gap between basic and alternative suppliers is currently larger than ever. The comparison portal CHECK24 calculates that a model household with a consumption of 20,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of gas has to pay an average of 3219 euros a year for the basic supply. With alternative suppliers, only 1845 euros are due on average for the same amount of gas.
On average, switching providers can save 43 percent or 1374 euros in gas costs. “Consumers in the basic service should now become active and switch,” advises Steffen Suttner, Energy Manager at CHECK24.
Gas supplier change saves over 1700 euros in Thuringia
Comparing the prices exactly – this is particularly worthwhile for consumers in some federal states. Because the level of potential savings when switching from the default supplier to an alternative provider varies greatly from region to region.
Gas consumers in Thuringia can currently save a lot. A family consuming 20,000 kWh of gas per year pays EUR 3,677 for the basic supply, while an alternative provider only pays an average of EUR 1,887. “By switching from the expensive basic supply to an alternative provider, the family saves an average of 1789 euros or almost 50 percent of the gas costs,” calculates CHECK24.
A change is also particularly worthwhile in Bavaria (1671 euros), Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (1606 euros) and Saxony (1558 euros). This is least the case for consumers in the city-states of Berlin and Bremen: They still save 653 and 300 euros respectively by switching to an alternative provider.